Foundry flask



Patented Jan. 15, 1946 FOUNDRY FLASK William J. Spensley, Dubuque, Iowa, assignor to The Adams Company, Dnbuque, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application October 19, 1942, Serial No. 462,554

8 Claims.

This invention relates to foundry flasks and has special reference to flasks of the type adapted to be lifted off the mold and to improved operators for opening and closing the flask.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a flask of the type described wherein improved means is provided for opening and closing the flask in which the movement of the flask sections is positively effected by cam mechanism and the flask is locked in closed position by cam means, and further contemplates construction in which the operating mechanism includes guides located in the open outside the perimeter of the flask for maintaining the flask sections in alignment at all times.

Another object is the provision of an operator wherein the sections are connected and actuated at a plurality of points spaced along the abutting corners of the flask so as to provide smooth operation and [positive locks spaced along the corner and joining the sections of the flask.

A further object of the invention is the provision in a flask of the type described of a novel cam mechanism for opening and closing the flask arranged for quick operation and constructed so that it does not become fouled by accumulations of sand.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a flask embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of the corner showing the operating mechanism in the closed position; I

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the operating mechanism in open position;

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Figfifi is a side elevational view partly in section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary view of the'cam mechanism taken on the line I-J'of Fig. 6.

The invention contemplates a flask of any conventional form and is herein shown as embodied in a flask of the type having the usual cope 8 and drag 9, in this instance formed of wood, though the invention can be embodied in a metal structure with equal facility. In accordance with the usual practice, the flask has the conventional vertical guides designated generally by the numerals II and I2, the specific features of which form no part of the present invention and consequently will not be specifically described I since they are common in the art. Likewise the drag has its upper and lower edges finished by conventional metal edging strips as indicated at I3v and and the cope has similar strips [5 and I6 in accordance with the usual practice. Both the cope and the drag are divided at opposed corners into two sections indicated generally by the numerals 11 and I8, the section l8 comprising upstanding walls l9 and 2| rigidly joined to form a corner as indicated at 22, and likewise the section I! includes upstanding walls 23 and 24-rigidly joined at a corner 25. The walls 49 and 23 are arranged to abut at their free ends to form a separable corner as indicated at 26, and likewise the walls 2| and 24 abut at their ends to form a separable corner 21.

The invention contemplates improved means for connecting the cope and the drag sections at the corners 26 and 21 so as to allow these corners to open and thereby expand the flask so that it may be lifted from around the mold. This means comprises an operating means located at the abutting corners of both the cope and the drag, and since the principle of these operating means is identical, it will be sufficient to describe a structure'and mode of operation of only one.

Adjacent the corner formed by the abutting ends of the walls 2| and 24 of th cope, at which end the walls are beveled as shown at 28 and 29 (Fig. 4) a bracket 3| is attached to the outer surface of the wall 2| as by means of bolts and nuts 32 and screws 33. This bracket has a pair of spaced ears 34 and 35 projecting outwardly therefrom with the faces thereof in this instance being in substantial parallelism with the ends 28 and 29 of the walls. Positioned in the ears 34 and 35 are rods 36 and 3'! which extend diagonally across the corner, as will best be seen from Figs. 4 and 6, the rods in this instance being threaded at one end as indicated at 38 for the reception of nuts 39 threaded thereon to rigidly retain the rods in the ears 34 and 35.

Attached to the outer surface of the wall 24 adjacent the corner is a bracket 4| secured against the wall by means of bolts 42 and screws 43. This bracket has outwardly disposed cars 44 and 45 in substantially the same plane as the cars 34 and 35, the ears being provided with bores for the snug reception of the rods 36 and 31 to provide guides for these rods so that as the rods slide through the guides, the ends of the two walls are maintained in alignment. The. ears 44 and 45 are formed by upstanding ribs, part of which project in parallelism with the rods 36 and 31 as indicated at 46 and 4! (Fig. 6), the upper outer surface of one wall adjacent said corner and extending across said corner, guides rigidly secured on the outer surface of the other side wall adjacent said corner for the passage of said rods to maintain said ends in alignment during relative movement thereof, a handle attached to said other wall between said rods and beyond said guides on an axis parallel to said rods, cam followers projecting from said handle toward said rods, and oppositely disposed double acting cams on said rods engagi g said followers, each of said cams having sliding surfaces for imparting longitudinal movement to said rods in opposite directions to move said ends toward and away from each other upon rotation of said handle and also having a cam surface for locking said ends in closed position.

4. The combination in a foundry flask of upstanding walls, having ends separably abutting to form a comer for said flask, a bracket attached to the outer surface of one of said sides adjacent said corner having a rod projecting across said comer in spaced relation thereto, a guide on the other of said walls adjacent said corner cooperable with said rod to maintain said ends in alignment during opening and closing movement, a lever pivoted on said other side on an axis parallel to said rod for vertical rotation with respect to said flask, a cam member on said rod having spaced vertically disposed cam surfaces positioned at an angle other than 90 with respect to said rod, and a cam follower on said lever positioned between said cam surfaces for moving said rod longitudinally of the guide to force the ends of the walls apart upon rotation of the lever in one direction and to force the ends together upon rotation of the lever in the opposite direction.

5. The combination in a foundry flask of upstanding walls having ends separably abutting to form a corner for said flask, a bracket attached against the outer surface of one of said sides adjacent said corner having a rod projecting across said corner in spaced relation thereto, a guide on the other of said walls adjacent said corner cooperable with said rod to maintain said ends in alignment during opening and closing movement, a lever pivoted on said other side adjacent said corner on an axis parallel to said rod for vertical rotation with respect to said flask, the same member on said rod having spaced vertically disposed cam surfaces positioned at an angle other than 90" with respect to said rod, and a cam follower on said lever positioned between said cam surfaces for moving said rod longitudinally of the guide to force the ends of the walls apart upon rotation of the lever in one direction and to force the ends together upon rotation of the lever in the opposite direction, said cam surfaces having cam portions for imparting opening said closing movement to said ends, and one of said cam surfaces having a cam portion for locking the ends in closed position.

6. The combination in a foundry flask of upstanding walls having ends separably abutting to form a corner for said flask, a bracket attached against the outer surface of one of said sides having parallelly disposed spaced rods projecting across said corner and fixed to said bracket, cam members on said rods having spaced vertically disposed cam surfaces positioned at an angle other than with respect to the axis of said rods, a handle pivoted on the other of said walls adjacent the corner and disposed between said cam members, and cam followers on said handle projecting between the cam surfaces of said cam members for forcing the ends of said walls apart upon rotation of the handle in one direction and for drawing said ends together upon rotation of the handle in the opposite direction.

7. The combination in a foundry flask of upstanding walls having ends separably abutting to form a corner for said flask, spaced upper and lower ends rigidly secured to the outer surface of one wall adjacent said corner and extending across said corner exteriorly thereof, a handle attached to the outer side of the other wall adjacent said corner pivoted on an axis parallel to and between said rods for rotation in a vertical plane, a double acting cam member on each of said rods adjacent said handle comprising a member of U-shaped cross-section having spaced vertically disposed cam surfaces, the member attached to said upper rod having the open end of the U downwardly disposed and the member attached to the lower rod having the U upwardly disposed, and cam followers actuated by said handle and disposed between said cam surfaces of said members to move said cams and rods in either of two directions dependent upon the direction of rotation of said handle and thereby move the corners toward and away from each other to open and close the flask.

8. The combination in a foundry flask, of upstanding walls having ends separably abutting to form a corner for said flask, a bracket attached to one of said walls adjacent said corner having spaced upper and lower rods rigidly secured thereto extending across said corner, a second bracket attached to the other of said walls having guide openings for the passage of said rods and having guide bearing surfaces, a handle attached to said second bracket intermediate said guide surfaces and pivoted on an axis parallel to said rods for rotation in a vertical plane, a double acting cam member on each of said rods having bearing guide surfaces cooperating with the guide surfaces of said bracket, said cam members comprising a member of U- shaped cross-section having spaced vertical cam surfaces, the members being disposed with the open ends of the U facing said lever, and cam followers actuated by said handle and dispose between said cam surfaces of said members, said followers substantially filling the space between said spaced vertical cam surfaces and acting to move said cams and said rods in a direction to close said flask when said handle is moved ownwardly and to open said flask when the handle is moved upwardly.

WILLIAM J. SPENSLEY. 

